This introductory chapter provides an overview of education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It also acts as a preview for the analyses of the various education sectors in the chapters that follow: Early Childhood Education, K–12 Education, Higher Education, Arabic Language Education, STEM Education, English Language Education, Teacher Education, Special Education, and Quality Assurance in Education. The two distinct stages in the country’s educational development thus far are outlined here: the initial establishment and expansion of the education system, followed by the current focus on improving its quality. The structure and funding of the UAE’s contemporary education system is described, and the significance of innovation and transformation is discussed. Salient primary themes in contemporary education that recur throughout the subsequent chapters of the book are set out, including the impact of the country’s demographics on education, the relative roles of national citizens and resident non-citizens in education, the differences in regional provision for education within the country, and the contrast between public and private schooling.